Avalakki Upkaari ~ Mangalore Style Poha

'Poha' is the Hindi word for both beaten rice flakes / flattened rice and a dish prepared with it. The latter is a popular breakfast dish from India that goes under different regional names and prepared with regional variations. Today's version 'avalakki upkaari' comes from the Mangalore region and is called bajil in Tulu. It is a favorite of mine among the 'spicy poha' category and thought of sharing it today. 

This delicious poha can be prepared in no time as it involves very minimal cooking. There is no need to saute / cook anything here as it does not contain onion, tomatoes or potatoes. In fact, even poha is not cooked in this case which makes it quite a simple dish. This poha is usually served as a breakfast or snack and is often paired with upittu / upma and the combo is a popular pair called sajjige-bajil. In fact the combo used to be a popular breakfast served during weddings in the Mangalore area until a few decades ago. 

This upkaari uses thin variety of beaten rice flakes since they are not soaked here. They are combined with shredded fresh coconut which lends the moisture and softens them. Frozen coconut can be substituted instead of fresh coconut but needs to be thawed before using in the recipe. There are both sweet and spicy version pohas made. The sweet version called sihi avalakki / gul pohe is prepared by mixing beaten rice flakes, coconut, jaggery and cardamom. The spicy version is made by tossing together the beaten rice flakes, coconut, spice mix, jaggery and a simple tempering. Rasam powder / Sambhar powder can be substituted in case if there is no time to prepare the spice mix. Jaggery can be replaced by sugar.

Ingredients for tempering:

1 tbsp. oil
1/2 tsp. mustard seeds
1 tsp. skinned black gram / urad dal
1 or 2 green chili / dried red chili (optional)
Few curry leaves

A pinch of turmeric powder (optional)

Ingredients for avalakki:

1 tsp. cumin seeds
1 tbsp. coriander seeds

4 Byadagi chillies 

2 cups thin rice flakes / paper avalakki / thin variety poha
1 cup fresh / frozen shredded coconut

1 or 2 tbsp. minced cilantro
1/2 tsp. salt or to taste
2 tbsp. jaggery (or to taste)

Directions:
1. Heat oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds and black gram. When black gram starts to change color, add curry leaves and green chilies if using. Saute for few seconds if using green chilies. Add turmeric if using and turn off the stove.
2. Lightly toast cumin seeds, coriander seeds and dried red chilies and grind them together coarsely when they cool down.
3. Add the above tempering and the spice powder, coconut, cilantro, jaggery and salt to a bowl and mix well. Next add the rice flakes / poha and mix again thoroughly with hand. 
4. Let the mix sit for at least 15 minutes, for the beaten rice flakes to absorb the flavors and soften. 
5. The upkaari is ready to serve when the poha softens.

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Potlakaaya Pindi Miriyam / Andhra Style, Spicy Snake Gourd Dal

Pindi miriyam is a traditional dish from the south Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is a lentil based preparation flavored with the addition of a freshly ground spice paste. The paste includes 'miriyam' or black pepper as well which gives a spicy kick to the dish. The dish has a thicker consistency compared to the regular sambhar dish. There is another version called paala pindi miriyam that do not use any lentils but prepared with milk and the spice paste and that recipe is found here.

This had become almost like a forgotten dish though it was a favorite dal of mine while growing up. This is my maternal grandmother's recipe which I got from my aunt as my mother has almost stopped preparing this in the recent years and had forgotten the recipe. It seems that it was one of my grandfather's favorite dishes and so, my grandmother used it prepare it now and then. My mother on the other hand hated the dish and would be in tears whenever she saw the dish. It is hard to visualize the scene as I have never seen my mom disliking any food prepared at home. And guess what, this is one of the dishes she used to prepare regularly while I was growing up and had become one of my favorites over the years. 

We usually use snake gourd in this recipe but any vegetables on hand can be used. My mother used to add coconut in this recipe while my grandmother's recipe does not include it. I prepare it nowadays without adding coconut but I highly recommend it as coconut enhances the flavor of pindi miriyam. I have started making this dish recently and thought of posting today this comfort meal of mine.

Ingredients for dal:

3/4 cup yellow lentils / toordal

1 heaped cup of chopped snake gourd pieces

1/8 tsp. ground turmeric

Salt to taste

1 lime sized tamarind ball

Ingredients for the spicy paste:

1/2 tsp oil (I didn't use any.)
1 heaped tsp. rice 

1 heaped split chickpeas / chana dal

1 tsp. black gram / urad dal

1 heaped tsp. coriander seeds
1/2 tsp. peppercorns 
A pinch of fenugreek seeds 
3 / 4 dried red chilies
2 pinches of asafoetida (I added it in tadka instead.)

1/4 cup fresh / frozen shredded coconut 

Ingredients for tadka:

1 tsp. oil

1/2 tsp. mustard seeds

1/2 tsp. cumin seeds

Few curry leaves

Directions:

* Rinse yellow lentils / toor dal with water and drain. Pressure cook the lentils adding snake gourd pieces, turmeric and 1 and 3/4 cups of water, for three whistles. If the lentils takes longer to cook than three whistles, cook the snake gourd separately as the pieces may turn mushy if cooked longer. Lightly mash the cooked dal with a back of a ladle.

* Soak the tamarind in water for about an hour to soften it or cook the tamarind with water in a microwave for two minutes. Squeeze the tamarind paste and keep it ready.

* Meanwhile, toast the ingredients mentioned under the list. Add oil to a small pan and add rice, split chickpeas, and black gram. Saute until dals start changing color and add coriander seeds, peppercorns, fenugreek seeds, and red chilies. Saute on low flame until coriander seeds and  fenugreek starts changing color. Add asafoetida and turn off the stove. 

* When the toasted ingredients cool down to room temperature, grind them along with coconut to a thick paste, adding water as needed.

* Add a tsp. oil in a kadai / pan and add mustard and cumin seeds. When mustard seeds start to splutter, add curry leaves. (I added asafoetida here.) Immediately add the cooked dal with the snake gourd pieces, the ground paste and salt to the pan. Add tamarind water to your taste. 

* Mix the contents in the pan with a ladle, taste and adjust the seasonings if needed. Add extra water if it appears too thick. (Pindimiriyam's consistency is on a thicker side compared to sambhar and so add water accordingly.) 

* Bring the mixture to a boil, lower the heat and cook for a couple of minutes more. Turn off the stove and serve warm with rice / roti.

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Bengali Cholar Dal / Cholar Dal Narkel Diye

Today's recipe of cholar dal comes from the Bengal region and was included in my Bengali thaali that I posted in September. Cholar dal is a traditional dal prepared in Bengalis homes using chana dal / split chickpeas, ghee toasted coconut and spices. It is not every day kind f dal but usually meant for festive meals like Durga puja bhog and special occasions. This savory and subtly sweet dal does not contain any vegetables and the preparation is quite simple and straight forward. 

It doesn't contain the panch phoran, the traditional five spice mix that is frequently used in Bengali cooking but uses other whole spices.  This flavor filled dal is unique with an inviting addition of toasted coconut slices and raisins along with sugar. I found it interesting and the dal very enjoyable with a slight crunch of those crispy coconut pieces and raisins in each bite. It can be served with luchi, a Bengali puffed bread, rice, khichdi or pulao. 

Ingredients:

1/2 cup split chickpeas / chana dal

1 - 2 tbsp. ghee

2 tbsp. fresh coconut pieces

1 tbsp. raisins

1 tsp. cumin seeds

1 bay leaf

1 inch cinnamon stick

2 or 3 cardamom

1 tsp. ginger paste / grated ginger

2 dried red chili

1 pinch of asafoetida

1/8 tsp. ground turmeric

Salt to taste

1/2 tsp. cumin powder

1/4 tsp. garam masala powder

1/2 tsp. sugar

(I added 1/4 tsp. chili powder as well which is optional.)

Directions:

* Rinse and soak chana dal for a couple of hours. Drain the water used to soak the dal. Pressure cook chana dal adding about 1.5 cups water, for 3 or 4 whistles. The dal should be cooked such that it doesn't turn mushy but still hold some shape. (I had about a cup of cooked dal along with water.) 

* Heat ghee in a pan. Fry coconut pieces and raisins separately and keep aside.

* To the same ghee, add cumin seeds, bay leaf, red chili, cinnamon, and cardamom. Saute for few seconds and add asafoetida and ginger paste. Cook on low flame for about a minute.

 

* Next add the cooked chana dal along with the water, turmeric, salt, chili powder, and sugar. (The toasted coconut and raisins are also added at this point but I decided to add them at the end.) Cook the mixture until it thickens.

* Add cumin powder and garam masala at the final stages and cook for a minute and turn off the stove

* Garnish with the fried coconut pieces and raisins and serve it warm with rice / khichdi or luchi.

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Instant Appam

I had made these instant appam for my Kerala breakfast platter that was a part of 'Thaalis & Platters' that I posted during September. Idiyappam was originally on my mind when I thought of that platter but decided to include another dish at the last moment. These appams that I found on YouTube came to my rescue (I however forgot to note the link.) which are an instant version. Unlike the traditional version appam posted here, this appam batter does not include any yeast and needs no fermentation overnight though the batter needs to rest for a short amount of time. The instant appam batter instead has an unusual addition of fruit salt that is not typically used in south Indian cooking which make these appam softer and fluffier. These appam make a great breakfast / brunch item on a weekend or even during weekdays if one doesn't mind the short resting period of the batter.

Traditional appam are pancakes / dosas prepared with a fermented batter of rice and coconut and are popular in the south Indian states of Kerala and Tamil Nadu. The appam are bland on their own and are usually served with a savory condiment / side dish. These thin breakfast pancakes are typically bowl shaped since they are made in appachatti, a cast iron frying pan that is rounded at the sides and looks like a shallow bowl. I followed the recipe exactly including making them on a griddle instead of a curved pan similar to a wok and so these don't have the typical appam shape. Also they were made thicker. I had served them with kurma and kaara chutney.

Ingredients:

2 cups rice flour
1/2 cup cooked rice
1/2 cup shredded coconut, fresh or frozen
Salt to taste
1 tsp. sugar
1 to 1.5 tbsp. Eno's fruit salt
Oil to make appam

Directions:

* Thaw coconut if using frozen. Grind rice flour, rice, coconut, salt and sugar together into a smooth batter of pourable consistency, adding water as needed. (One may need about 2.5 cups of water.) 

* Pour the batter into a container, cover and let the batter sit for at least half an hour. (I let it to rest for a couple of hours.) Add any extra water if needed at this point.
* Add fruit salt just before making dosas and sprinkle a tbsp. of water over it. 

* Mix gently to combine, yielding a frothy mixture.

* Heat a griddle / tawa and pour a ladleful of batter at the center and don't spread it. 

* Add a tsp. of oil around the edges and when the appam appears dry  on the surface, flip it.

* Cook for few more seconds until the bottom side gets cooked as well and transfer the appam onto a plate using a spatula.

* Repeat the steps of making appam with the remaining batter.
* Serve them warm with a side dish.

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Raswaale Aloo / Banarasi Aloo

This potato curry aka raswaale aloo is part of the classic combo that is served along with dalwaali kachori in the lanes of Banaras. This gravy and the Sitaphal ki subzi / Kaddu ki subzi together make an unusual and lip smacking combination to go with Banarasi dalwaali kachori, the spicy pooris made with wheat flour and black gram paste. 

It is an extremely easy and simple curry which needs minimal cooking skills and basic ingredients that can be found in any Indian kitchen. This curry falls under 'satvik food' category as it is made with just potatoes using no onion, garlic or tomatoes that are usually an integral part of the north Indian style curries. The curry can be paired with roti / poori or paratha too.

Recipe Source: Here

Ingredients:

3 potatoes, peeled and boiled 

2 tsp. mustard oil / any oil preferred

1 tsp. mustard seeds

A pinch of asafoetida

1 tsp. ginger paste

1/8 tsp. turmeric powder

1 tsp. cumin powder

1 tsp. coriander powder

2 tsp. dried mango powder / amchur powder (or to taste)

Chili powder to taste

1/2 tsp. black pepper powder or to taste

Salt to taste

Cilantro to garnish

Directions:

* Add ginger paste, turmeric, cumin powder, coriander powder, dried mango powder, chili powder, pepper powder to a small bowl. Add 2 tbsp. of water to the mix and make a paste.

* Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds. When they start to splutter add asafoetida. Next add the spice powder paste and saute on low flame until the oil separates and floats to the surface.

* Crumble the cooked potatoes roughly with hand and add it to the pan. Mix the ingredients to combine, with a ladle.

* Add salt and pour about a cup of water to the pan. (More water can be added for a thinner gravy.) Bring the mixture to a boil. Smash the potatoes with the back of a ladle if needed.

* Garnish with cilantro if preferred and turn off the stove. 

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Kaara Chutney / Kara Chutney

Today's recipe is of a classic side dish from the southern state of Tamil Nadu. Kara chutney is a spicy and delicious chutney that is perfect to go with south Indian style breakfast dishes like idli and dosas. It is quite simple to prepare as it involves only sauteing onion and tomato. It can be prepared ahead a day or two so that it can be handy during morning rush hours. 

Ingredients:
1.5 tbsp. oil
1 tbsp. chana dal / Bengal gram
1 tbsp. urad dal / skinned black gram
4 - 5 dried red chillies (I used less spicier byadagi chillies. Use less quantity if using spicier variety.)
3 garlic cloves with skin peeled
1 medium sized onion, chopped (about 1/2 cup)
1 tomato, chopped (about 1/2 cup)
1 tiny ball of tamarind (that would fit into a tsp.)
Salt to taste
Ingredients for tempering / tadka:
1 tsp. oil
1/2 tsp. mustard leaves
6 curry leaves

Directions:
* Heat oil in a pan and add chana dal, urad dal and chillies. When the dals start to turn reddish, remove the chillies and soak them in water. (Or chillies can be soaked in hot water for about 20 minutes ahead and then added along with the onions in the next step.)
* Add garlic and onions to the pan and saute until the onions turn light brownish. 
*  Next add tomatoes, tamarind and salt and cook until the tomatoes turn into a mush.
* Turn off the heat and let the mixture to cool. Grind the mixture finely adding water as needed. (One can make it thinner than the one shown in the pictures.)
* Heat oil in a small pan for tadka and add mustard seeds and curry leaves. When the mustad starts to sputter, turn off the stove and add it to the ground chutney and mix well.
* Serve with dosas / idlis.

Comments

Tomato - Peanut Chutney

There are several versions of tomato chutney in Indian cuisine that can be served as aside dish to several breakfast dishes / rice or can be used as a spread or dip. The version I am posting today uses peanuts as well that makes the chutney more flavorful. I have added both green and red chilies here but only red chilies can be added for a brighter color, if you prefer. This spicy chutney goes well with idlis or dosas and can stays fresh for 2 or 3 days, refrigerated.

Here are some other tomato based chutneys to go with breakfast dishes. 

Tomato  and cilantro chutney

Kara chutney

Chettinad chutney

Ingredients for chutney:

1 tbsp. oil
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1 onion, chopped
4 red chilies + 2 green chilies or to taste
2 tomatoes
1/2 tsp. sized tamarind ball
1/4 cup roasted and skinned peanuts
Salt to taste
Ingredients for tadka:

1 tsp. oil
1/2 tsp each mustard seeds 

1/2 tsp. black gram / urad dal
Few curry leaves

 
Directions:
* Heat oil in a pan and add cumin seeds. When the cumin seeds start to turn a shade darker, add chilies and saute for about 10 seconds and add onion. 

* Saute until the onion turns translucent. Add tomatoes and tamarind. Continue to cook until tomatoes turn mushy. Turn off the stove.

* Grind the sauteed tomato mixture, peanuts and salt, adding hot water if needed. (The hot water increases the shelf life of the chutney.) Transfer the ground chutney to a bowl.
* Heat a tsp. oil and add mustard seeds and black gram. When the black gram starts to turn  reddish, add curry leaves and turn off the stove. Pour this tadka over the chutney and stir once to combine.
* Serve this with any south Indian breakfast dishes as a side dsih. Refrigerate any left overs and use within a couple of days. 

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Peanut - Onion Chutney

Peanut based chutney is one of the common chutneys prepared in south Indian homes besides the coconut chutney and roasted gram chutney. The thick, creamy and richly flavorful chutney goes well with breakfast dishes like idlis, dosa, upma, pongal and such. 

Peanuts that are roasted on low heat until the rawness is gone is used in this chutney. The low heat is the key here. If peanuts are roasted on high flame then only the skins get blackened faster but the peanuts still would taste raw. The chutney doesn't taste good when the peanuts are not roasted well. The roasted peanuts are cooled and then usually skinned by rubbing between the palms, before getting used in the chutney. It is absolutely fine if one wishes to skip this step and use them with the skin intact. Peanuts can be roasted ahead and stored to use later. Or if using store bought skinned peanuts, these steps can be skipped altogether which makes the chutney making a quick and simple task.

Peanut chutney is made in many versions. I usually stick to the basic one that needs just roasted peanuts, green chilies and salt. Many add garlic too to this chutney. Coconut, ginger, cilantro, tamarind can go into this chutney as well. Here is a version that one of my sister-in-law prepares using fried onion. She adds sautéed onion at the end while grinding but I add directly to the chutney. An extras step to the basic version but adds flavor to the chutney. I served dosas with peanut chutney and ginger - tamarind chutney. 

Ingredients:

2 - 3 tsp. oil
1 tsp. mustard seeds
1 tsp. skinned black gram / urad dal
1 tsp. split chickpeas / chana dal
1 sprig of curry leaves
1 onion, finely chopped

1 cup roasted and skinned peanuts
2 green chilies or to taste
Salt to taste
1 cup water

Directions:

* Heat oil in a small pan and add mustard seeds, black gram and split chick peas. Stir once and when mustard seeds start to splutter and split chickpeas start to turn reddish, add curry leaves and onion. Sauté on low flame until onion turns translucent. (Or the sautéing of onions and tadka can be done separately.)

* Grind peanuts, green chilies and salt together adding water, finely or slightly grainy, depending upon one's preference.

* Transfer the ground peanut chutney to a bowl and add the sautéed onion mixture. Mix well and serve as a side dish to south Indian breakfast dishes like dosa, idli, or upma.

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A - Z Karnataka Recipe Series ~ X for 'X'Ploring Karnataka Cuisine with a Regional Thaali

These pictures were taken with a mobile phone and so they are not that crisp as they need to be but I assure you that festive meal was a delicious one. 😀 I decided to keep this post to the minimum basics as each regional cuisine from Karnataka deserves a post of it's own. Today's thaali is a typical one from the southern regions of Karnataka though many of the dishes are not region specific. The cuisine of Karnataka, one of the south Indian states of India is one of the oldest cuisines in India. It includes both both vegetarian and non vegetarian stuff but I am sticking to the vegetarian part. 

There are noticeable differences in the cuisine across the regions in the state. With a broad stroke, Karnataka cuisine can be classified region wise / community wise into the following.

1. North Karnataka Cuisine

2. South Karnataka cuisine

3. Malenadu Cuisine (Coorg / Kodagu which has it's own distinct cuisine also comes under the Malenadu region.)

4. Udupi Cuisine 

5. Konkani Cuisine - Includes Saraswat Cuisine, Navayath cuisine and Mangalore Catholic cuisine

Jowar and wheat are the common crops in the northern region where the area is semi arid with a hotter climate. In fact, jolada rotti / sorghum flour flatbreads are every day lunch in most homes of the northern region. They pat the jowar rotis thinner and bigger like wheat rotis just using hands. Ennegai, the stuffed eggplant gravy and the jowar roti is the popular combo from the region. Where as ragi and rice rule the southern region. Ragi muddhe / cooked finger millet ball is the predominant everyday meal in most of the rural and non brahmin homes and eaten with bassaru, upsaaru or non vegetarian side dishes. Kodava cuisine in the meanwhile revolves around rice which has a variety of rice based recipes ranging from breakfasts to desserts. Piegeon peas / toordal, moong, horse gram are the most commonly used legumes in the cuisine. Coconut is widely used in cooking in the coastal and the southern areas and the food is mostly mild.

The kodavas are predominantly non-vegetarians, a direct result of their geographical setting with no road access to other regions in the olden days. They were surrounded by forest with plenty of game to hunt and had a conducive climate to agriculture which led them to be a self sufficient community. Pandi curry is one of their iconic dishes which was prepared after a wild boar hunt. Some of the ingredients used in the Coorg cuisine are available only locally making the cuisine unique. The northern regional cuisine is predominantly vegetarian because of the large presence of Lingayats who are vegetarians while the Konkanis including most of the brahmins consume seafood because of the proximity to coastal region.

The famous south Indian breakfast masala dose has it's origin in the Udupi cuisine. The other popular dose from the state include neer dose, surnoli, uppu huli dose, Mysore masala dose, set dose and others. Rave idli, the popular creation of The MTR brand also belong to the state. Idlis steamed in various kinds of leaves is a traditional breakfast in the Udupi, Mangalore regions and there are plenty of idli variations in the state including sanna, horse gram idlis, pumpkin idlis etc. Mangalore buns and nuchinunde are popular breakfasts as well. Rotti is one more popular breakfast from the state including the ones made with rice flour, cooked rice, finger millet flour, and semolina. Nool puttu, kadambuttu, akki otti are some of the popular breakfasts from the Coorg region. 

Bisibele bhath, kayi saive anna, vangi bhath, puliyogare, menthya bhath are some of the famous rice dishes from the state. Bhatkali biryani, donne biryani are some of the non vegetarian rice dishes. Dishes made with avarekayi / field beans is popular in Bangalore area. Girmit, menasinakayi bajji, goli baje, aambode, Maddur vade, pathrode, nippattu, kodbale, mandakki are some of the famous snacks while chiroti, holige, kajjaya, laadu, halbai, chikklunde, Mysore pak, Dharwad peda, Belagavi kunda, karadantu, hayagreeva, kashi halwa, gasagase payasa are some of the famous sweet dishes from the state. Kuswar is the set of 22 different traditional Christmas goodies prepared by Mangalore Catholics. Condiments like shenga hindi (peanut powder), gurellu pudi (niger seeds powder), agase chutney pudi (flax seeds powder) and ranjaka made with red chillies pastes are some of the popular condiments from the northern parts of the state. 

A meal during functions is served on banana leaf where the dishes are served in a specific order and will contain many items. No one starts the meal until the ghee is served which is a signal that all the items have been served on the leaf except the rasam and yogurt which are served at the end. The everyday meal in a typical brahmin home contains rice, palya (curry), huli (sambhar), and mosaru / yogurt. There may be a uppinakayi / thokku - pickle / chutney and sandige (fried vadi) to perk up the meal. Thili saaru / rasam is optional. No snacks / sweets are served for everyday meals. My thaali was prepared during Navratri and contains the following items.

Sides

Uppu - Salt
Nimbekayi uppinakayi - Lemon pickle

Kosumabari - Cucumber salad

Thuppa - Ghee 

Sandige - Vadi

Mosaru - Yogurt

Curries

Thondekayi palya - Ivy gourd curry

Kosu batani palya - Cabbage and green peas curry

Dals

Thovve - Seasoned plain dal (I forgot to place it.)

Soppina saaru - Spinach dal

Avarekayi melogara - A spicy field beans gravy

Thili saaru - Rasam

Rice

Maavinakayi chitranna - Green mango rice

Vangi bhath - Spicy eggplant rice

Anna - Steamed rice

Snack & Sweets

Ambode - Split chickpeas fritters

Holige - Poli / Sweet stuffed bread

Gasagase payasa - Poppy seeds kheer

Gasagase payasa is one of the delicious and popular payasa / kheer from Karnataka that is prepared on festive days. The toasted raisins and cashews which is a trademark of south Indian style payasa is not usually added in the case of gasagase payasa and so, the kheer is somewhat plain looking, especially when sugar is added. However be assured that the looks are compensated with the fabulous taste here. Toasted cashews and raisins can be added at the end of preparation if preferred and sugar can be substituted with jaggery in the recipe. 

I have already posted the gasagase payasa recipe here. This is my mother's version where she doesn't add the tiny bit of rice that is common in this payasa preparation. If preferred 2 tsp. rice can be toasted and ground along with poppy seeds. The kheer is prepared usually with a ground mixture of poppy seeds, coconut, rice and a few nuts which is optional. The coconut is added for flavor and to increase the quantity of kheer to be honest as poppy seeds are expensive in India. And therefore one can add coconut as much as they prefer but don't go overboard since this is supposed to be poppy seeds payasa not coconut one. 3/4 to 1 cup of milk would be needed for each tbsp. of poppy seeds used. I wanted a very thick kheer and added only about 2 cups of milk for the following measurement but upto 3 cups of milk can be added here.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup poppy seeds

1/4 to 1/2 cup shredded coconut (I added a little over 1/4 cup.)

4 almonds + 4 cashews (My mother adds some raisins as well.)

Seeds from 1 cardamom

1 cup water 

2.5 cups milk 

1/2 cup sugar

Directions:

* Toast the poppy seeds lightly and keep aside.

* Thaw the coconut if using frozen stuff. 

* Grind the poppy seeds, nuts and cardamom seeds finely without adding any water. Then add coconut and water as needed to grind the mixture.

* Pour the mixture into a pan, preferably a non stick one. Clean the mixer jar with the remaining water and pour that as well into the pan. Add milk and start cooking on low medium flame. (Add more milk if needed as it slightly thickens after cooling.) Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring almost constantly. Lower the heat, add sugar and cook for 3 to 4 minutes more. 

* Serve it warm.

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A - Z Karnataka Recipe Series ~ W for Watermelon Rind Dose / Kalingana Polo

I did not have to think much about the alphabet 'W' in this series as I was set on this watermelon rind dose recipe early on. I could not think even one recipe from Karnataka with a local name that starts with the letter 'W'. In fact I have saved this recipe for ages in the hopes of doing a Karnataka recipe series in the alphabetical order some day. Mysore pak, hitakida bele saaru, nuchinnunde, some of the classic recipes were not posted on my blog until this series for the same reason.

This watermelon rind pancakes called kalingana polo is a traditional recipe from Konkani households. Dosa, the popular south Indian breakfast is called dose (though-say) in Kannada whereas it is called polo in Konkani. It is one of those recipes which shows how our ancestors in the agrarian economy had been frugal and nothing went wasted in their kitchens. The white part of the watermelon rind which is usually tossed away after enjoying the fruit is used in these dose preparation. The white rind is crisp with a very mild flavor and is used in preparation of other dishes as well.

These dose are not instant and needs advance planning. The ingredients need to be soaked, ground and fermented overnight similar to regular dose. These are soft and spongy in texture like surnoli / set dose. One cannot even notice the watermelon flavor here. In fact one can hardly notice these dose being any different from the regular version except these being softer. The yummy dose go well with any spicy accompaniment like the regular dose.

I find summer to be the best time to prepare these dose when the watermelons are available in abundance. I freeze the white part of the rind after enjoying the fruit so that I can have access to it even during winters when the fruits are not found. Any cheap quality rice will work for dose recipe, if living in India. I use extra long grain rice for my dose which they sell in bulk at Sams / Costco stores. 

Ingredients:  (Yield - about 9 to 10 dose)

1 cup rice
1 tsp. fenugreek seeds
1 cup puffed rice or flattened rice (I used puffed rice.)
1 heaped cup of white watermelon rind
1/4 cup fresh / frozen grated coconut 
Salt to taste
1/2 cup water
Oil to make dose

Prep work:
* Rinse rice, fenugreek seeds and flattened rice (poha) if using with water and drain. Soak them in water for at least 3 to 4 hours. If using puffed rice / murmura instead of flattened rice / poha then just rinse them before grinding the dose batter.
* Cut the red fruit from the watermelon and you will be left with the outer green skin and the white rind.

* Carefully remove the white part with a knife and discard the outer green part.

* Drain the water used to soak the rice or save about half a cup to grind the batter and drain the rest.

* Thaw if using frozen coconut. First grind together watermelon rind and coconut. Then add soaked rice and fenugreek seeds, rinsed puffed rice / flattened rice, coconut and salt. Grind into a thick and fine batter adding water as needed. (I used about half cup. You can use the water that was used in soaking the rice. If you live in a hot climate, salt can be added before making the dose instead.)

* Transfer the ground batter to a container, cover it and leave it in a warm place overnight to ferment. (I ground the batter the previous evening at around 4 pm and made dosas for the breakfast next morning. Basically I left it to ferment for about 15 hours.)
* The batter in this case won't rise dramatically but it will become thicker and porous and you can lightly smell the fermentation.

* Heat a tawa and pour a ladleful of batter at the center and don't spread it. 

* Add a tsp. of oil around the edges and COVER it with a lid. You will start to notice holes developing and when the dose appears dry  on the surface, flip it.

* Cook for few more seconds until the bottom side gets cooked as well and transfer the dose onto a plate using a spatula.

* Repeat the steps of dose making with the remaining batter.
* Serve them warm with a chutney any spicy accompaniment. Mine were served with vegetable saagu and chutney pudi.

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